1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid delivering system and a fluid delivering kit. In particular, the invention relates to a fluid delivering system and kit which are adapted to deliver small quantities of fluid. The present invention is especially adapted for micro-equipments, such as fuel cells, for providing raw materials during operation.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
In the chemical industry, fluids are frequently transported. In general, mechanical compression pumps, which have devices with reciprocating, diaphragm pressing, centrifuging or eccentrically rotating, are used as a source of pressure for transporting fluids. The pumps are usually disposed on the upstream end of the tube for elevating the pressure at the upstream end of the tube. The fluid is then delivered to the other end (downstream) of the tube which is at lower pressure. Unfortunately, this kind of system is bulky, noisy and high in energy consumption due to the use of the mechanical compressor pump for raising the pressure and converting electric energy into mechanical energy. Moreover, those pressure pumps always require sealing structures to prevent leakage. Thus, it turns into an issue for using the pumps to provide stable and quantitative delivery of small volume of liquid.
With technique improvements, various application devices have been gradually miniaturized. As a result, fluids need to be delivered in smaller quantities. For example, only a small quantity of methanol or methanol-water is needed for a reaction in a small fuel cell to generate electricity. In this situation, the delivery capability of the conventional mechanical pumps is far beyond the requirements, which is not suitable for delivering fluid in small quantity instead. Furthermore, when high technology products are designed with a lighter weight and slimmer size, the conventional mechanical pumps are too bulky for these products. In addition, conventional mechanical pumps are often fluctuated in volume delivering and energy consuming. Thus, a simple, quiet and low in energy consuming pump which is suitable for delivering small amount of fluids are needed in this field.
Recently, fluid delivering technologies have utilized the capillary action of the fluid to counteract the force of gravity on the fluid. However, the strength of the capillary action is still tied to gravity, surface tension, temperature of the fluid, fluid nature and the transporting environment. Moreover, when the pressure resistance downstream is higher, such as 0.5 to 1 atmospheric pressure or more, the capillary action is insufficient to drive the fluid.
As a result, the development of pumps for overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages of the conventional mechanical pumps in delivering small quantities of fluid becomes a serious challenge. The present invention provides a simple and economical manner to achieve the objective of transporting micro-fluids in a slim device.